The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Trump touts 8,000 new jobs, could be part of previously announced plan,

Tensions between president-elect, Obama rise, fall.

- By Vivian Salama

PALM BEACH, FLA. — President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday touted plans by a Japanese mogul to bring 8,000 jobs to the United States.

They could be the first of the 50,000 jobs tech billionair­e Masayoshi Son promised to create after meeting with Trump earlier in December.

The announceme­nt came during a whirlwind day in which Trump accused President Barack Obama of throwing up “inflammato­ry” roadblocks during the transition of power and said Obama’s administra­tion was treating Israel with “total disdain.”

Son is the founder and chief executive of SoftBank, one of Japan’s largest technology companies. He owns the U.S. mobile carrier Sprint, which Trump said Wednesday would be moving 5,000 jobs back to the United States. Son also controls OneWeb, which Trump said would hire 3,000 workers.

It was unclear whether Trump was referencin­g the Dec. 6 commitment by Son to invest $50 billion in the United States and create 50,000 jobs. Trump said the addition of 8,000 jobs was “because of what’s happening and the spirit and the hope.”

Sprint has struggled since its 2013 acquisitio­n by SoftBank. The carrier shed roughly 9,000 workers between 2012 and 2016, reducing its staff to 30,000, according to annual reports.

Sprint’s attempt to join with rival T-Mobile failed in 2014 after regulators objected to combining two of the four largest mobile telecom companies in the United States. Analysts say a Trump administra­tion would be more likely to approve telecom mergers, including

‘We believe it is critical for business and government to partner together to create more job opportunit­ies in the U.S.’ Marcelo Claure Sprint chief executive

a deal between Sprint and T-Mobile.

Sprint chief executive Marcelo Claure said in a statement that the company is “excited” to work with Trump.

“We believe it is critical for business and government to partner together to create more job opportunit­ies in the U.S. and ensure prosperity for all Americans,” Claure said.

The Sprint jobs announceme­nt came after tensions rose and fell Wednesday between Trump and Obama. Trump has made it clear that it didn’t sit well with him when Obama recently boasted that he would have won the election if he’d been running.

“Doing my best to disregard the many inflammato­ry President O statements and roadblocks,” Trump tweeted Wednesday morning. “Thought it was going to be a smooth transition — NOT!”

Later, however, when journalist­s at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida asked him about the tweet and how he thought the transition was going, he said, “I think very, very smoothly. It’s very good. You don’t think so?”

Even later Wednesday, Trump told reporters he had spoken by phone with Obama and said the two “had a very nice conversati­on.”

His comment came after he took direct issue with the Obama administra­tion’s decision to let a United Nations Security Council resolution critical of Israel pass.

“We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect,” he said in a two-part tweet. “They used to have a great friend in the U.S., but ... not anymore. The beginning of the end was the horrible Iran deal, and now this (U.N.)! Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approachin­g!”

Trump resumed his busy schedule of meetings following a brief lull for the holidays. He first met with David Rubenstein, head of the Carlyle Group investment firm. He also met former California Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado and former Texas A&M president Elsa Murano — two candidates for agricultur­e secretary.

Maldonado was chairman of the California Senate’s agricultur­e committee; Cubanborn Murano was an agricultur­e undersecre­tary in George W. Bush’s administra­tion.

Trump also held meetings with a number of medical executives, likely for discussion­s about Obama’s signature heath care plan, which Trump has called a “total disaster.”

They included Mayo Clinic chief executive John Noseworthy; the head of Johns Hopkins medical center, Paul Rothman; the head of the Cleveland Clinic, Toby Cosgrove; and Partners Healthcare chief executive David Torchiana. Spicer said Trump would also discuss the health care law in a meeting with former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, who served as secretary of health and human services under President George W. Bush.

 ?? KEVIN HAGEN / THE NEW YORK TIMES ?? President-elect Donald Trump met with several health care and business executives Wednesday. He also announced plans by a Japanese mogul to bring jobs to the United States.
KEVIN HAGEN / THE NEW YORK TIMES President-elect Donald Trump met with several health care and business executives Wednesday. He also announced plans by a Japanese mogul to bring jobs to the United States.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States